1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indicator device which is particularly but not exclusively useful for visually-impaired and blind people in order to allow them to easily identify a place, an office, a direction et cetera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known that the Braille system allows blind people to read by means of an array of raised dots which symbolize alphanumeric characters. Essentially, each letter and digit is written by mechanical punching on paper or other medium at some of the nodes of a two-by-three grid. Accordingly, by composing one or more grids which are punched in a horizontal direction one obtains words, etc. Reading is achieved by gently running one's fingertips along the resulting lines. This writing and reading system can also be applied to so-called place indicators in general and particularly to indicators of public bureaux, historical locations, hospitals and places of interest so as to enable blind people to autonomously recognize them. In the general effort of eliminating physical barriers for the benefit of the handicapped, it has been thought to associate short messages of one, or at the most two, words in Braille to traditional indications, mostly placed on signs or plates or similar media. For example, Braille strips of plastic-coated paper-like material are glued onto existing plates, signs, plaques, name plates, or similar. This solution is effective in itself, but it has the drawback that the strips deteriorate in the medium-long term, due to repeated contact, and degrade the overall aesthetic appearance of the plate. In new plates, the Braille studs are obtained by molding. A first drawback of this method is the fact that a specific mold must be provided for each plate, and if the plate is produced in a limited number of items this aspect considerably affects the retail price of the plate. A second equally important drawback is that this method is difficult to use with metals and metallic alloys such as for example aluminum, copper and zinc-aluminum-magnesium alloys and entails considerably high production costs.
An aim of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the cited prior art.
An object of the invention is to provide an indicator device which can be manufactured with any type of support material at a considerably lower production cost than the conventional methods, so as to induce purchasers to buy and use the device even where it is not expressly required.
Another object of the invention is to provide an indicator device which is resistant to abrasion and rubbing-induced wear and has a pleasant appearance.
Another object of the invention is to provide an indicator device which allows to write and read any indication in Braille.